What is Putin up to? Russian nuclear bombers flew within 40 miles of California coast

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USAF F-15 intercept of TU-95 Russian nuclear bomber
USAF F-15 intercept of TU-95 Russian nuclear bomber

Two Russian nuclear bombers flew within 40 miles (64 km) of the California coast and one of the pilots relayed a veiled threat during the Fourth of July aerial incident, defense officials said.

โ€œGood morning American pilots, we are here to greet you on your Fourth of July Independence Day,โ€ a Russian Tu-95 Bear bomber crew member stated over the emergency aircraft channel.

Meanwhile, Russiaโ€™s across-the-board buildup of nuclear forces and revised doctrine are increasing the danger of a nuclear war, according to a think tank report on nuclear threats.

Defense officials and the Colorado-based U.S. Northern Command said this week that two U.S. F-15 jets intercepted the Russian bombers on July 4 as they flew as close as 39 miles from the coast of Mendocino County, north of San Francisco.

During the intercept, a crew member on one of the bombers issued a warning in a radio message, according to defense officials familiar with the incident this week.

Earlier the same day, the Bear bombers intruded on the U.S. air defense identification zone (ADIZ) near Alaska. The zone is a 200-mile controlled airspace patrolled by U.S. and Canadian jets under the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

It was the second time the Russians conducted provocative bomber flights on the Fourth of July holiday. The last incident occurred on July 4, 2012, when two Bear bombers were intercepted off the California coast in what was then the closest such encounter near sovereign U.S. air space since the end of the Cold War.

A NORAD spokesman declined to comment on the exact distance from the coast the bombers had flown.

Two officials confirmed that the nature of the message from the Russian aircraft was a sardonic Independence Day greeting.

One official said the nuclear-capable bomber flights so close to U.S. shores are part of nuclear saber-rattling by Moscow, and much more of a concern than routine U.S. aerial surveillance missions near Russiaโ€™s coasts.

โ€œThese are nuclear-capable bombers and that is a big problem,โ€ the official said.

A second official said the buzzing of the California coast coincided with a telephone call made that day from Russian President Putin to President Obama. The Russian leader called for more U.S.-Russia dialogue, Reuters reported.

NORAD said in a statement the Russian bomber flights were โ€œpotentially destabilizing.โ€

In the Alaska encounter earlier in the day, two U.S. F-22 fighters intercepted the Bear bombers along the south coast of Alaska near the Aleutian Islands around 10:30 A.M. eastern time.

The California bomber-fighter intercepts took place a half hour later as the propeller-powered aircraft moved south along the North American coast.

โ€œEven though state aircraft are not required to file flight plans for flying through an ADIZ, such unannounced operations by Russian strategic bombers near the U.S. and Canada are potentially destabilizing,โ€ a spokesman for NORAD said.

Mark Schneider, a former Pentagon nuclear forces expert, said such Russian bomber incursions are part of nuclear coercion by Moscow.

โ€œThe pattern of Russian provocative bomber flights is dangerous because it reflects a Russian view that nuclear attack threats can and should be used to get their way on whatever they are attempting to achieve,โ€ he said.

Russiaโ€™s state-run Sputnik news reported Tuesday that despite its age, the Tu-95 is giving rise to fear in the NATO alliance because it โ€œis capable of striking the United States with nuclear bombs.โ€

The report on nuclear threats, โ€œForeign Nuclear Developments: The Gathering Storm,โ€ warns that Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran are substantially increasing nuclear weapons and delivery systems at a time when the United States is reducing its reliance on nuclear forces.

The report singles out Russiaโ€™s buildup of new missiles, bombers, and submarines, combined with aggression in Ukraine and its leadersโ€™ public nuclear threats, as especially alarming.

Russiaโ€™s new military doctrine, unveiled in December 2014, states Moscow will use nuclear arms if attacked with either nuclear or conventional weapons.

The new doctrine has resulted in substantial increases in spending on new weapons, two new types of ICBMsโ€”the Topol-M Variant 2 and the Yarsโ€”a new multi-warhead submarine missile called Bulava-30, a new class of missile submarines known as the Borey-class, upgrades for older bombers, and a new long-range strategic cruise missile called the Raduga.

The Raduga is viewed by U.S. military officials as a new strategic threat to the U.S. homeland.

โ€œWhile many in the West believe that the end of the Cold War has meant the end of a confrontational and adversarial relationship with Russia, recent events suggest this hoped-for outcome is more the result of wishful thinking than of a sober and realistic assessment of the current geostrategic environment,โ€ the report says.

โ€œUnder these circumstances, the possibility that Russia may trigger events leading to their actual use of nuclear weapons cannot be dismissed out of hand.โ€

Putin was quoted in Russian state media saying Moscow was set to place its nuclear forces on alert during the March 2014 annexation of Crimea.

The Russian leader also has said Moscow is โ€œone of the worldโ€™s biggest nuclear powers. These are not just wordsโ€”this is the reality.โ€ And in March he said, โ€œOur nukes are always ready for action.โ€

The report said Russian bombers have penetrated NATO airspace and overflown Japan, and Russian nuclear forces have conducted mock drills simulating coordinated strikes against the United States and its allies.

The Obama administration sought a โ€œresetโ€ in relations with Russia by offering concessions and adopting conciliatory policies. Instead of moderating Moscowโ€™s policies, Russia under Vladimir Putin has become more aggressive and threatening.

โ€œSenior Russian officials, including President Putin, have threatened that NATO allies may be targets for Russian nuclear forces, and President Putin has suggested he would have used nuclear weapons, if necessary, in the Russian invasion of Crimea,โ€ the report says.

The report was produced by the Virginia-based National Institute for Public Policy whose experts include several former Pentagon strategic nuclear experts.

Keith Payne, the instituteโ€™s president, said the report dispels notions that a cooperative new world order has emerged that renders nuclear arms irrelevant.

โ€œThis new report helps to explain the reality that โ€Žother states, particularly Russia, China, North Korea and Iran never bought into the Westโ€™s vision of a cooperative new world order and have continued to emphasize nuclear programs,โ€ Payne said.

China also is becoming more threatening and building up its nuclear and missile forces.

โ€œChinese nuclear modernization is an element of a much broader military modernization program that is aimed โ€˜at winning short-duration, high-intensity conflicts against high-tech adversariesโ€ฆโ€™โ€”considered to be the United States and its Asian allies,โ€ the report said, adding that Chinese secrecy has successfully prevented an accurate count of its warheads.

Current estimates of Chinese warheads range from several hundred to more than 3,000.

Its missile forces are the largest in the world and include several thousand ballistic and cruise missiles with varying ranges, and many with multiple warheads.

North Koreaโ€™s nuclear forces also are expanding, with Pyongyang seeking an arsenal of between 100 and 200 weapons by 2020, and long-range missiles capable of hitting targets in the region and throughout the United States.

โ€œNorth Koreaโ€™s training has recently exhibited more realism,โ€ the report said. โ€œUsually the North Korean regime is secretive about its exercises, but when expedient, it will talk about military preparations for a nuclear strike. Nuclear threats are sometimes made in the context of the North Korean leader observing or directing military exercises.โ€

Iran denies it is seeking nuclear weapons, however, regional states are concerned Tehran is continuing to put in place all the elements of a nuclear weapon force, including the infrastructure for building warheads and long-range missiles that can deliver them.

โ€œThe possession of nuclear weapons would permit more aggressive Iranian support of terrorism, which is already extensive. It would also provide Tehran a tool for coercion against its perceived enemies, while seeking to deter U.S. or allied actions,โ€ the report said.

Recent Iranian missile exercises have demonstrated โ€œsalvoโ€ strikes that are indications that Iran is developing tactics for nuclear attacks, the report said.

โ€œIran has substantial programs underway aimed at achieving a long-range nuclear strike capability,โ€ the report said. โ€œDue to years of cooperation with North Korea, Iranโ€™s nuclear and missile programs are probably considerably more advanced than might be the case for a purely indigenous program.โ€

The report said the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action aimed at curbing Iranโ€™s uranium enrichment program would not halt the effort and that uranium enrichment may continue.

โ€œMoreover, this does not even assume Iranian cheating on the agreement, which cannot be discounted in light of verification problems and previous Iranian behavior,โ€ the report said. โ€œIndeed, the end of sanctions against Iran could provide critical resources for more covert nuclear weapons activities.โ€

The report discussed U.S. and western efforts to produce a world free of nuclear weapons, noting that the efforts of Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran show that goal to be โ€œfurther from reality than ever.โ€

The increased reliance on nuclear arms by Americaโ€™s enemies, coupled with reduced U.S. emphasis on strategic nuclear forces, does not bode well for maintaining strategic nuclear deterrence, the report said. The authors urged policymakers to take heed of growing nuclear threats as they craft security policies for the 21st Century.

The report also disputed anti-nuclear advocates in favor of eliminating land-based U.S. missiles in favor of bomber-delivered and submarine-launched missile forces, and eliminating non-strategic nuclear arms and reducing investments in the nuclear arsenal.

Such advocates โ€œappear to ignore the greater emphasis placed by others on nuclear weapons and their relative importance as a counter to U.S. conventional force dominance, a deterrent to U.S. military actions, and an enabler of their own aggressive policies,โ€ the report said.

โ€œAs the Cold War recedes further into history, the nuclear threats posed by others to the United States and the West have not. In fact, the opposite appears to be the case,โ€ the report concludes.

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32 responses to “What is Putin up to? Russian nuclear bombers flew within 40 miles of California coast”

  1. arzatna1 Avatar
    arzatna1

    Putin keeps playing with fire. One day this whole thing will backfire at him and all of Russia

    1. Anti ISIS Avatar
      Anti ISIS

      If the tables were turned and the US did this (which btw they do all the time to other countries) to Russia, would you be saying the same thing.

      1. Hannibal Avatar
        Hannibal

        So true… and the report conveniently does not mention Israeli nukes.
        They also conveniently leave out the fact that Iran tried to register a fatwa against nuclear weapons labeling them 7araam as an international document.

        All those nations with nuclear bombs are cowards with no conscience.
        and let’s not forget the only country ever to use nuclear bombs is?

        1. Anti ISIS Avatar
          Anti ISIS

          Shhhhh Hannibal, a particular thing on this site will claim you are Shiite. Lol.

          1. Hannibal Avatar
            Hannibal

            A shiite rarely criticizes Hezbollah and does not despise Assad… ๐Ÿ˜‰ which I often do.
            I am a secular Lebanese who loves everyone… Even O ๐Ÿ˜‰

          2. I love OreO cookies ๐Ÿ™‚ and Yes I love O too, it is a Christian thing =D

          3. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            (now you guys are just being weird … hehhehehe)

          4. He was referring to O Canada right? oops! :)P

        2. cook2half Avatar
          cook2half

          The Hiroshima bombing saved lives.

          1. Anti ISIS Avatar
            Anti ISIS

            Please explain how.

          2. cook2half Avatar
            cook2half

            Well from a military perspective, it is pretty clear that a ground invasion generally causes a lot more casualties. It was estimated that a ground operation would have led to 10 million casualties, and the war would last much longer. Instead the U.S. killed 100,000 people and ended the war in a few days.

            Considering the Japs killed 20 million Chinese and millions of others in south Asia…

          3. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Yup .. WAR is just a whole total Sad Affair. ‘Glory’ is a misconception.

          4. zabada Avatar

            Anyway western world war 1 and 2 in the west claim more corpses…count it out.

          5. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            I think the Middle East wars are trying to match the body-counts now, Zab.
            You folks must have admired the concepts. Charts & Graphs.

          6. Adonis Avatar

            genocidal zionist vomit makes insane lies while trying to justify genocidal usa crime

          7. Hannibal Avatar
            Hannibal

            Tell this to the people of Japan…
            That was a cowardly act.
            They saved people my ass…

          8. cook2half Avatar
            cook2half

            So a ground invasion with tens of millions of deaths is better? the war would have continued until today.

          9. Hannibal Avatar
            Hannibal

            It is still going on today… It never stopped…
            That is the stuff you do not see or dare to count…

          10. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Yes Indeed Hannibal … The Atomic wonders … and they still went with Nuclear Electricity, and a Tidal wave hit … and Chernobyl has other examples, but Russia threatens Atomic War … and Iran can’t see any of it because it wants to be ‘Supremely Ignorant’.

          11. Adonis Avatar

            genocidal zionist turd still justifies genocidal usa crime

          12. With both Japan and the US at that point gearing up for a “to the last man” fight on the Japanese mainland, both sides ideologically driven to fight with literally everything they had until they had nothing left to fight with. Previous island battles in the Pacific saw thousands of soldiers and civilians commit suicide by various means including running off cliffs so as not to suffer the ‘shame’ of surrender.

            And with the USSR having finished it’s business in Europe then going east, everyone well aware of the lengths to which Stalin was prepared to to to win a war and steal foreign land afterwards, Russia still hasn’t returned the Kuril Islands. Japan would have been sandwiched between the two enemies and would not be a country today for the fact there would not be Japanese people alive today.

            I’m sure the war in Asia ending the way it did, as bad as it was it was the lesser of two evils.

          13. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            There was at least one island which still had soldiers dug in and waiting for invasion 30 years later, because they never got ‘the message’, or didn’t believe it.
            THAT is ‘belief’.

          14. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            In the sense that continued pave-bombing with conventional ones would have cost more Japanese lives, it is a point that can be made. The war stopped.
            We would like to think that the US then helped as much as possible with still-alive victims … although it also proved to be a learning experience about what cannot be done to fix irradiated bodies for the short time they have left.
            We would like to think it was also a reason they were never used again – even IF they ALL made much bigger ones after that so they could puff out their chests as Putin&KImmy do now and say ‘I AM a Big Boy. Don’t come near me or I will wipe us ALL out.’
            Yes … a form of insanity.

          15. zabada Avatar

            Japanese started an uprising to stop western colonialism..likely Hitler who are rises to stop the Zion.The two lost to western domination.Japanese are not stick on any religion..they are pagans..so they are brutal in wars.

          16. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Wrong. Zen Philosophy mixed with Feudal Society Codes & Warrior Codes of Bushido.
            They were colonizing China, remember?
            AND their Admirals thought they could prove a point and keep anyone else out of their Oceans … especially sneaky doing a Ninja Attack on an American fleet that was all stuck in a port for lunch. Good plan, really, except it ticked off a few people.
            AND, like others from tiny countries, they had no idea how big North America actually was. And how much North American valued their hard-won freedoms.
            Perhaps they had noticed that Canada had already helped the Brits win ‘The Battle Of Britain’ and Hitler wasn’t dominating skies anywhere by that time. Waking up the Yankees wasn’t exactly wise.

          17. zabada Avatar

            Former #USA #CIA chief: James Woolsey (Even before 9/11): We will create for them another #Islam that suits us..

          18. nagy_michael2 Avatar
            nagy_michael2

            see i wasn’t wrong when i said that you work for CIA after all. Lol

          19. zabada Avatar

            he he he.. I m a holy cia agent.

          20. Adonis Avatar

            genocidal zionist jerkoff tries to justify war mega crime

    2. Adonis Avatar

      retarded usa troll makes empty threats to russia

  2. Michaelinlondon1234 Avatar
    Michaelinlondon1234

    What they do not tell you about is all the military equipment upgrades the west has done in the last 20 years or all the countries the US has subverted or slaughters people in….And there is a lot.

  3. Adonis Avatar

    so what. Nato is making drills on russian borders

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